Toothpick Philosophy

From now on, if you read my blog and don't understand where I am coming from, just call it Toothpick Philosophy.

Some people are determined to be like cockle-burrs,if you know what I mean. They stick to your clothes; get caught up in your horse's tails and manes or give your dogs grief.

Trying to remove them takes some careful maneuvering on your part. Why? Because even as you separate them from your clothing, they stick to you! Sometimes they graciously leave a little souvenir in your fingers to remember them by.

Toothpick Philosophy is nothing new. Many people are gifted in wise observations about life. Some of the express it in song, others poetry and in my case, a blog.

I do not claim to be wise and my writing style will never earn me an A from a Creative Writing Instructor. Nor will I win the Nobel Peace Prize or a Pulitzer

Toothpick Philosophy for this week:

Stick a burr under the saddle of a horse and they will buck.

Walk through a patch of them and burrs will stick to your clothes.

Removal of said burrs can mean a secondary injury if you are not careful.

Michael Martin Murphy would call it "Cowboy Logic".

The upside is that for every one of those pesky burrs that you find in your patch of life, there is a some kind of flower growing close by.

Walking the Fence Line may not be your cup of tea. The good news is that in this modern day of technology, everyone can have the tea of their choice.

Drop by and visit any time, I welcome your company. The water is heating on the stove and I have several teas to offer you. The one thing that I do ask is that you don't break the tea cup upon your departure.

Remember, Walking The Fence Line doesn't mean that we have to be on the same side of the fence. We only need to be willing to walk together until one of us is willing to open the gate.

Fixing fence is the one of the hardest jobs on a ranch. I no longer live on a ranch, but I do know what hard work is. Fences are everyone's concern, but nowadays,the "hole" is always your neighbor's side not your own. It used to be that you would respect your neighbor and mend the fence together. If their cows got in your field, a simple phone call resolved the problem. You might even saddle up your own horse and help them gather them up. We need more people who are willing to roll their sleeves up and fix the fence regardless of who your neighbor is.
There are people in this country who need to be reminded that a fence is like the way you should conduct your life. Your posts should be straight and neat. The wire needs to be stretched tight and your gate might be closed, but can still be easily opened. And most of all, we can all saddle
up together and ride the range, it won't matter if you have an Appaloosa, Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred. The cows still have to be gathered, fences have to be fixed, and the range is a wide open space of opportunity for us all.